SD cards

In this topic you see the main features and compatibility of the available SD cards for PLCnext Control devices.

These SD cards come with an underlying file system, which is necessary for proper operation in PLCnext Technology. Do not use other SD cards available on the market, nor reformat a Phoenix Contact SD card you want to use with your PLCnext Control further on.

Note: In the following cases, all LEDs at the PLCnext Control's housing except the D and E LEDs begin to flash red (1 Hz):

unauthorized removal of the SD card during operation
invalid SD card license
enabled write protection on the inserted SD card
in case of the 32 GB SD card: firmware release on the controller is pre-2022.0 LTS
the (unencrypted) SD card in the slot cannot be read

Regular SD cards for PLCnext Control devices

Program and configuration memory for storing the application programs and other files in the file system of the PLC:

SD FLASH 2GB PLCNEXT MEMORY (item no. 1043501)
SD FLASH 8GB PLCNEXT MEMORY (item no. 1061701)

License SD cards for PLCnext Control devices

Usable in PLCnext Control device from firmware release 2022.6 or newer only

Program and configuration memory for storing the application programs, other files, and licenses in the file system of the PLC:

SD FLASH 8GB PLCNEXT MEMORY LIC (item no. 1151112)
SD FLASH 32GB PLCNEXT MEMORY LIC (item no. 1151111)
SD FLASH PLCNEXT MEMORY LIC CFG (item no. 1308064)

Partitions on LIC SD cards

LIC SD cards produced from March 2023 are formatted with two partitions:

Partition	Label	Filesystem	Mount point	Available amount of data space	Usage
Partition 1	system	EXT4	/media/card/system	64 MB	License container storage
Partition 2	overlay	EXT4	/media/rfs/rw (Overlay file system)	8 GB SD card: ~7.5 GB 32 GB SD card: ~29.7 GB	Overlay file system

Show the partitioning of some early LIC SD cards (produced up to February 2023)Show the partitioning of some early LIC SD cards (produced up to February 2023)

Partition	Label	Filesystem	Mount point	Available amount of data space	Usage
Partition 1	system	EXT4	/media/card/system	53 MB	License container storage
Partition 2	overlay	EXT4	/media/rfs/rw (Overlay file system)	8 GB SD card: ~1.8 GB 32 GB SD card: ~3.7 GB	Overlay file system
Partition 3	user_ext	EXT4	/media/card/userdir	8 GB SD card: ~5.1 GB 32 GB SD card: ~24 GB	Additional storage (e.g. Docker engine/containers in order to store persistent data or any other customer's application-related data)

Known issue

Known for all firmware versions on RFC 4072S and BPC 9102S:

LIC SD cards are only supported from firmware release 2022.6 or newer. If you're using a LIC SD card with an RFC 4072S or BPC 9102S and performing a reset to default settings type 2, then the firmware version of the delivery state that is reactivated might not support the LIC SD card type. Because for these controllers an SD card is mandatory, updating the firmware by means of the usual update procedure via the WBM to a firmware version ≥2022.6 that supports the LIC SD card is no longer possible then. In this case, proceed as follows:

Connect to the controller via an SFTP client, e.g. by means of WinSCP (see Connecting to the controller).
Upload a firmware container of a version ≥2022.6 to /var/volatile/tmp. This folder is located in the RAM of the controller and has about 4 GB of free memory.
Perform an update with the following command via SSH console:
rauc install /var/volatile/tmp/<updatecontainer>.raucb
↪ The update is executed and the LIC SD card will be active on restart.

Binding licenses to the LIC SD card

The licenses for function blocks, firmware functions or PLCnext apps can be bound to a LIC SD card. Previously, the binding of licenses was only possible to a device. Binding to the removable SD card considerably simplifies exchanging a device for the user when necessary. See next section for details.

The licenses can be transferred to the SD card by means of the "offline activation" procedure via the WBM page License Management or via the PLCnext Store interface. In both cases, the SD card must be inserted in the controller.

Find more information on how to transfer licenses to the SD card:

in the License Management topic in this Info Center for transferring licenses via WBM
in the PLCnext Store Info Center for transferring licenses via the PLCnext Store interface

Exchanging devices with licenses bound to an SD card

To transfer the licenses on an SD card from one device to another, proceed as follows:

Transfer licenses to the SD card
1. For AXC F x152 devices:
  Ensure that the support of the (optional) external SD card port is activated in the WBM on both devices (see SD Card Settings ).
2. Ensure that you use a LIC SD card (see the item list).
3. Bind your licenses to the LIC SD card.
4. Transfer licenses already bound to the controller to the SD card by unbinding them from the controller and creating a new license binding to the SD card. For more information on the procedure, see section Offline Activation.
Exchange the SD card from one device to the other device
Note: Insert and remove the SD card only when the controller's supply voltage is disconnected. An SD card needs to be recognized during the initialization phase of the controller. If you insert the SD card during operation, the SD card will not be recognized.
1. Disconnect the supply voltage at both devices in question.
2. Remove the LIC SD card from the device and insert it to the other device.
3. Reconnect the supply voltage at the device carrying the LIC SD card.
  ↪ The LIC SD card with the licenses and further data will be recognized during the initialization phase of the device.
For further use of the device from which you removed the LIC SD card, proceed as follows:
1. In case of a device with mandatory SD card (e.g., RFC 4072S or BPC 9102S) insert a different LIC SD card in the device.
2. Reconnect the supply voltage at that device.
  ↪ The device starts up without access to licenses or further user data.

Encrypted SD cards

For encryption of these LIC SD cards, see Working with encrypted SD cards.